What is your project experience?

Bob Carlitz (bob@hamlet.phyast.pitt.edu)
Wed, 19 Mar 1997 23:53:06 -0500 

In a previous message I outlined several questions in the areas of
Internet Service and Metropolitan Area connectivity.  Maybe it would
be better if we get into specifics with which we are familiar.  To
that end, can you describe the experience of your projects in these
areas?

Here are some things we've found in the course of Common Knowledge:
Pittsburgh (CK:).  Your experience may or may not be parallel.

1) The Internet Service Provider piece is straightforward if you
have a regional network with experience in dealing with educational
groups.  Although CK:P routes traffic through the Pittsburgh
Supercomputing Center at present, the transition to direct PREPnet
connectivity (PREPnet is our regional network) should be a smooth
one.

2) Neither the telephone company nor the cable company is likely
to offer to sell the most economical services available for school
conectivity.  Here are some examples and some comments:
	a) We use a technology called HDSL to drive bare copper
at speeds ranging from 56 kilobits to 1.5 megabits.  The monthly
charge for the bare copper is $60 to connect a pair of sites in
the school district.  Telephone companies routinely use this
technology when they install T1 lines, but they do not appear to
pass along the cost savings to their customers.  Typical T1
rates are $400 to $600 a month.  Under terms of the Telecommunications
Act, local telephone companies would be forced to allow third
parties to install services of this type over their existing copper
plant.  Needless to say, these rules are tied up in a court challenge
launched by the local phone companies.  Supposedly this was part of
the price they had to pay to be allowed to go into the long distance
business, but they hope to avoid this if they can.
	b) We use ISDN technology to link many school sites.  But
we set up the links in Speech Bearer Mode (ISDN Voice calls).  This
setup eliminates the time charges associated with ISDN Data calls.
If we had to pay these time charges, the ISDN technology would no
longer be appropriate for full-time LAN connectivity.
	c) We undertook a trial of cable modem technology with the
local cable company (TCI).  It is clear that TCI has no interest in
offering this as a comercial service on their present coaxial
cable system, and I doubt it's technically feasible.  The only
place where cable modems can work on older coaxial systems appears
to be on INETs (Institutional Networks), where the total numbers
of connected sites is no more than 100 or so.  Please correct me
if I'm too pessimistic on this point, as it is a crucial one with
regard to currents discussions of Universal Service under the
Telecommunications Act.
	d) In the absence of meaningful competition for provision
of the local loop it would appear that wireless options will be
of increasing importance, even in urban areas where there is
extensive wired infrastructure.  How many districts are using
this technology today?

3) How are school districts dealing with implications of the
Telecommunications Act of 1996?  That Act provides for Universal
Service subsidies, currently pegged at over 2 billion dollars
a year.  These subsidies should kick in next fall on a first come,
first served basis.  Who is ready for this?  It's worth noting
that these subsidies are larger in total dollars than ANY 
existing federal education program. This isn't a minor perturbation
on the system;  it's a mechanism for building things from the
ground up, but only if school districts know what to do with it.
Do they?

Apologies is this message is a bit too long and a bit too loaded
with jargon.  Please describe the experiences you have had with
this piece of the network's technology, using whatever language
has been used in the conduct of your project.

Thanks,
Bob Carlitz